childhood innocence
Unspoiled early wonder
Childhood innocence is the state of being free from adult knowledge, corruption, or worldly experience that characterizes young children.
The phrase often carries nostalgic weight, evoking a time before awareness of mortality, sexuality, or human cruelty: We try to preserve their childhood innocence as long as we can.
The loss of childhood innocence marks a threshold into maturity, sometimes gradual, sometimes abrupt.
- imaginationFaculty for forming ideas
- imaginary friendsFictional companions children create
- wonderAmazement or curiosity
- naivetyInnocent lack of experience
- purityUncontaminated quality
tooth fairy · nostalgia · joy · idealism · trust · carefree · playfulness · hide and seek · lullabies · monster under bed · fairy tales · vulnerability · storytelling · curiosity · wide-eyed · gentleness · sheltered · bedtime stories
- youth sayingsfountain of youth, salad days, spring chicken, tender age, young at heart
- Peter PanPeter Pan, Neverland, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Wendy
- youth artadolescence, playground, student life
- Rousseausocial contract, Emile, Confessions, noble savage, natural state
- naturalistic educationlearning by doing, hands-on learning, discovery learning, progressive education, student-centered
childhood innocenceworldliness
Secular, experienced outlook
cynicism · disillusionment · world-weariness · street smarts · sophistication
childhood innocencecorruption
Dishonest abuse of power
depravity · guilt · moral corruption · wickedness · moral decay